Numeri 9:4 (Numbers 9:4)

Posted on May 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 9:4 Præcepitque Moyses filiis Israel ut facerent Phase.

And Moyses commanded the sons of Israel that they should perform the Phase.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Præcepitque and he commanded 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+CONJ
2 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
3 filiis to sons DAT.PL.M
4 Israel Israel INDECL
5 ut that CONJ
6 facerent they should do 3PL.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
7 Phase Passover ACC.SG.N.INDECL

Syntax

Main Clause: Præcepitque Moyses filiis Israel — Præcepit governs filiis Israel as indirect object, with Moyses as subject.

Subordinate Clause: ut facerent Phase — introduced by ut, expressing command with facerent in the imperfect subjunctive and Phase as direct object.

Morphology

  1. Præcepitque — Lemma: præcipio; Part of Speech: verb with enclitic conjunction; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: and he commanded; Notes: The enclitic links this instruction to prior narrative context.
  2. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Moyses; Notes: The leader acting as mediator of divine command.
  3. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to sons; Notes: Indicates recipients of the command.
  4. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: dependent genitive relation; Translation: Israel; Notes: Specifies identity of the sons.
  5. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces subordinate clause; Translation: that; Notes: Used after verbs of command.
  6. facerent — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: they should do; Notes: Subjunctive required in indirect command construction.
  7. Phase — Lemma: Phase; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter indeclinable; Function: direct object; Translation: Pesaḥ; Notes: Refers to the Passover observance.

 

About Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Born around 346 A.D. in Stridon, St. Jerome was a scholar fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew whose ascetic discipline and deep engagement with Scripture prepared him for a monumental task: translating the Bible into Latin. Commissioned by Pope Damasus I around 382 A.D., Jerome began by revising the flawed Old Latin Gospels, then expanded his work to the entire Bible. For the New Testament, he corrected Latin texts using Greek manuscripts; for the Old Testament, he translated most books directly from Hebrew—a controversial but principled choice. His final Psalter, however, followed the Greek Septuagint tradition for liturgical use. This composite translation, later known as the Vulgate (editio vulgata), became the authoritative biblical text of the Western Church, formally endorsed at the Council of Trent in 1546. The Vulgate’s influence extends beyond theology into textual criticism and Latin education. As one of the earliest translations grounded in original-language scholarship, it offers a vital witness to the state of biblical texts in late antiquity. Jerome’s lexical and syntactic decisions are studied to trace manuscript history and assess variant readings. Its elegant Latin, consistent in grammar and rich in vocabulary, became a model for medieval and Renaissance learning, bridging classical and ecclesiastical Latin. More than a translation, the Vulgate helped define Christian doctrine, preserved the Latin language, and laid essential groundwork for the critical study of Scripture—remaining indispensable to students of Latin, theology, and textual history.
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